Unwoven string or cord and process for making the same



Mar. 27, 1923.

- R. B. RESPESS UNWOVEN STRING OR CORD AND PROCESS FOR MAKING THE SAMEFiled Jan. 18, 1918 2 sheets-sheet 1 Mar. 27, 1923.

Y R. B. RESPESS UNWOVEN STRING OR CORD AND PROCESS FOR MAKING THE SAMEFiled Jan. 18, 191 8 Swwewtoz @Z/ZZZ SS 04 144241 Patented Mar. '27,1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHICE.

ROLAND B. RESPESS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNR ASSIGNMENTS, TO

RESPRO INCL, OF CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

UNW OVEN STRING OR CORD AND PROCESS FOR MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed January 1a, 1918. Serial No. 212,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROLAND B. REsPEss, a citizen of the United Statesand resident of the borough of Manhattan, city of New 5 York, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in an Unwoven String or Cord and Process for Makingthe Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an unwoven.

string or cord and the process for making the same, and is animprovement of my invention for an 'unwoven string or cord described inpatent application, filed December 18th, 1917, Serial Number 207,783..

One of the objects of this invention comprises the production of astrong pliable string or cord of unwoven-matted fibers 2 having theappearance of leather, which may be finished in a manner similar to thatemployed for leather strings or cords. The strings or cords may be cutto suitable lengths and the ends thereof provided with metallic tips, orti s may be formed in the string or cord, which latter tips are treatedto become stiff as described hereinafter. The strings or cords may alsobe given the appearance of woven on braided strings or embossed leathertapes, useful for the cords of shoes, corsets, upholstery and the like.

In general terms the process consists in first producing a fiber sheetof suitable vegetable, anlmal or mineral fibers, such as cotton, hemp,flax, ramie, jute, wool, hair, as-

bestos and they like, with the fibers thereof preferably located in thedirection of the length of the sheet. The fiber sheet is formed innarrow widths by carding or other suitable machines in wide sheets thatare cut in strips or narrow sheets. The narrow sheet is treated insuitable machinery, by which one of its longitudinal edges is saturatedwith a solution of a binding agent. The sheet is then formed into aroll, the cross-section of which forms a spiral with the saturated edgeforming the core of the roll, and the unsaturated ortion wound aroundsaid edge and core. he spiral may be flattened so that each winding ofthe spiral becomes approxiinately elliptical in shape. The sheet may ormay be formed I,

be twisted to a helical shape. The cord or string so far produced ispassed through coacting grooves formed on the surfaces of rollers whichare tangent to each other in the direction of their lengths. Each pairof grooves forms circular, oval shaped dies for the cord, and which Iwill designate hereinafter as forming dies.

The said forming dies compress the string or cord as it passestherethrough. After the string or cord has passed through a number ofsuch forming dies, of consecutively decreasing diameters, it issaturated with a binding agent, which causes the fibers to adhere toeach other after being dried. After drying, the cord or string is againpassed through other forming dies of consecutively decreasing diameters,to further compress it, and then may again be treated with the bindingagent and dried. The cord ma next be passed through still smaller ormingdies to be compressed to the requisite diameter. The string or cord isnext coated with surface dressing and passed through compression dies,which latter may be heated, after fore cutting, the string may at properdistances thereof be finished with a double metallic tip, by means of.atipping machine. The string or cord and the middle portions of thedouble tips are then severed, so that lengths of cord or string areproduced with a tip at each end. Doubletips may also be die-pressed inthe string or cord, by means of a die, which compresses the string atdifferent portions thereof. The said compressed portions may be finishedwith a coating agent, which when dry stiffens them, or the compressedportions may be surfaced with a coating of rubber and vulcanized. Thecompressed portions when out in two, form non-metallic tips for the endsof the lengths of the string or cord.

' The accompanying drawings show an exemplification of apparatus tocarry out the invention and in which Fig. 1 is a section of Fig. 2 onthe line 1, 1; Fig. 2. represents a plan view of the apparatus to carryout the initial steps of making the string or cord and Figs. 3 and. 4show elevations partly n Vertical section of apparatus 0 Carry which thecord orsting is cut into the required lengths. Be-

or other gent 43 agaiast out the other steps of the process and Fig. 5shows an elevation partly in section on a larger scale of apparatus tocarry out a modification of a part of the process.

A journal bearing is\ indicated at 20.

A bracket 21 is provided with journal bearings 22, 23 and 24. A shaft 25is journaled in the bearings 20 and 2 2.

A pulley 26 is fastened to the shaft 25 at one end and-a bevel gear,27is fastened to the other end. A spindle 30 is journaled in the bearings23 and 24 and has extending therefrom the tapered winding spindle 31. Aroller 34 is fastened to the shaft 25 and a roller 35 is journaled inbearings not shown below the roller 34. Rollers 38, 39 and 40 carry theendless conveyor belt 41. The roller 40 is journaled in a tank 42, thatcontains a solution of a binding agent 43. A bracket 45 is attached tothe tank 42 and has a guide opening 46 for the belt 41. An opening 47has adjustably located therein the scraper 48. A flanged guide plate 50has formed therein a recess 51 to enable the belt 41 to move in saidrecess.

A journal bearing 53 has fastened thereto a spur gear 54., A shaft 56 isjournaled in the bearing 53 and extends through the spur gear 54. Theshaft 56 has fastened thereto at one end the pulley 57 and at the otherend, the hub 58 of the frame 59.

The frame 59has formed therewith the stationary leg 60 and the hingedleg 61. hub 62 extends from the frame 59. A pin 63 is supported in thehub 62 and has journaled thereon the combined bevel pinion 64 and spurgear 65. The latter meshes with the spur gear 54. A journal pin 66extends from the frame 59 and has journaled thereon the combined spurgear 68 and bevel gear 69. The bevel gear 69 meshes with the bevelpinion 64. A shaft 73 is journaled in the legs 60 and 61. The said shafthas formed therewith the friction collar 75 and supports the loosecollar 76. A pinion 77 on the shaft 73 meshes with the spur gear 68.

A spool 78 with the disc flanges 79 and 80 is supported .on the shaft73. Nuts 82, 83 are provided for the threaded ends of the shaft 73. Bymeans of the nut 83 the friction between the disc flange 80 and frictioncollar 76 can be varied, which varies the speed of rotation of'the spool78.

85 with the elliptical opening 86 ex from the hub 58.

The operation of theapparatus is as follows: 1

Raw. cotton or the like in the form of unwoven fiber sheets 90 withthefibers thereof located in the direction of its length is located uponthe guide turning.

The conveyor the lower surface of the A linseed oil.

ELIIII,

or plaited string or cord.

plate 50 and is ledbe- .tween'the rollers 34 and 35, the shaft 25 belt41 carries the binding.

sheets 90 and adjacent toone side edge thereof. The sheets 90 extendaround the tapered spindle 31 forming a roll which becomes a string orcord, that passes through the opening 86 and around the spool 7 8.

The shaft 56 revolves and with it revolves the frame 59. During therevolutions of the frame, the spool 78 through the train of gears, turnson the shaft 73. The combined motion twists the fiber sheet 90 as itleaves the spindle 31 and winds it on the spool 7 8. This produces atwisted cord 92, the center of which is saturated with the binding agentwhich under the effect of the twisting may extend outwardly to or nearthe surface 0 the cord. The cord or string is next passed throughforming dies which compress it, and is next conveyed toa drying chamher101, by which the rubber is set and added one-third ounce of balata,which latter has been dissolved by a suitable solvent, and to which isadded one sixth ounce o glue, one sixth ounce of sulphur, one thirdounce of white lead and one sixth ounce of The proportions of theingredients of this binding agent may be varied to produce either astiff flexible string or cord, or one that is soft and flexible. Thestring or cord is then again dried in .a drying chamber 106 to evaporatethe naptha or other liquids thereof, after which it is again compressedby means of forming dies 107 to the required diameter. The string orcord 92 is then surfaced with a suitable dressing 108 in a tank 109 andpassed through a pair of heated formingdies 110. The raw cotto'n beforebeing formed into sheets may be treated with a dyeing agent, to obtainthe color required for the finishing product. The binding agent may alsohave introduced. therein a coloring agent. The last forming dies throughwhich the string or cord is passed may be eithercircular, oval or ofother forms, and the heated finishing dies may contain a graining designto produce a cord or string resembling a woven After the string has beenrun through the heated dies it may be tipped with metallic tips by meansof dies 116 or compressed tips 118 as already described, may. be formedin the string by means of similar dies 116 The latter tips may be coatedby means of a brush 120'with an agent to stiffen them or they may becoated w'th rubber and vulcanized before being cut in two, forming afinished string or cord. While the string is being coated with the brush120 it may be supported on the table 121.

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patentand claim 1s:

1. The herein described process consisting in forming a sheet of mattedfibers, saturating one of the longitudinal edges of the sheet with abinding agent, folding the sheet over this edge as a core andcompressing the product.

2. The herein described process consisting in forming a sheet of mattedfibers, saturating one of the longitudinal edges of-the sheet with abinding agent, folding the sheet over this edge as a core, compressingthe product to the diameter desired, surfacing the string produced withsuitable dressing and subjecting it to heat.

3. The herein described process consisting in forming a sheet of mattedfibers, saturating one of the longitudinal edges of the sheet with abinding agent, folding the sheet over this edge as a core, compressingthe product, saturating it with a binding agent to cause the fibers toadhere to each other when dried, compressing the product, surfacing thestring produced, with a dressing, heating securing to the string atdifferent portions thereof, a metallic covering and cutting the stringin lengths and the metallic covering in half to form a tip at each ofthe ends of the lengths of string.

4. The herein described process consisting in forming a sheet of mattedfibers, saturating one of the longitudinal edges of the sheet with abinding agent. folding the sheet over the edge as a core, compressingthe string produced, saturating the string with a binding agent to causethe fibers to adhere to each other when dried, compressing the string toa reduced size, surfacing the string with a dressing, heating,compressing the string at different portions to form tips and cuttingthe compressed portions in two to form a tip at each end of the lengthsof the strings formed by the cutting.

5. The herein described process consisting in forming a sheet of mattedfibers, saturating one of the edges thereof with-a binding agent,folding the sheet over the edge as a core, compressing the folded sheetto form a string, saturating it with a solution con-.

sisting of rubber, naptha, balata, glue, white lead, sulphur and linseedoil, drying and compressing the string to gradually reduce thesizeqthereof.

6. A string consisting of a sheet of matted fibers rolled on one of theedges thereof, a binding agent to hold the fibers of the stringtogether, a dressing for the surface of the string and tips for the endsthereof.

Si ne d at the borough of Manhattan city of h ew York in the county ofNew York and State of New York this 9th day of J anuary A. D., 1918.

ROLAND B. RESPESS.

